CONFIRMATION

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on Sunday, April 28th at 7:30 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church. In preparation for this Sacrament, a Confirmation Retreat will be held on Saturday, April 27th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church. All candidates must attend. Candidates are reminded to bring a signed letter from the service coordinator or a parent stating the completion or anticipated date of completion of volunteer service hours.

BIBLE FOR BEGINNERS

Tuesday, April 16th at 7:30 PM or Thursday, April 18th at 10:30 AM

Topic: An Overview of the Old Testament – now known as the ‘Hebrew Scriptures’. For information please call Mary at 416-293-3760.

SHARELIFE

Working wonders for people who are homeless…

While at Matt Talbot we helped Richard reunite with his brother, lost to him through separate adoptions, and deal with his mother’s death, a woman he had mixed feelings about for she was the person who originally committed him to the system as a young child. Today Richard is working odd jobs, drinks rarely and still has his apartment. Still overflowing with teenage-boy energy, although he is approaching 60 and stands 6’ 5”, there’s a calm to Richard that’s new. Some of that calm comes from the processing he did while in the Matt Talbot Program and some comes from us learning when to let go and move people along to their next phase of growth. In Toronto alone, there are at least 1,500 homeless people on any given night. On an annual basis, ShareLife agencies provide food, shelter, guidance, care and counselling to more than 10,000 people in the Greater Toronto Area.

SHARELIFE COMMUNITY CHALLENGE

Through the ShareLife Community Challenge, a generous parishioner in the Archdiocese of Toronto will match all new or increased gifts to the 2013 ShareLife Campaign up to a total of $800,000! Together, as a Catholic community, we have an opportunity to respond to this challenge and make a significant impact on the work of our agencies.

ShareLife Total for 2012: $208,317Share Life to Date: $75,155.60

Next Sunday, April 21, 2013 is ShareLife Sunday. Please give generously. You can work wonders!

JUST COFFEE

Fair trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend.

Regular ground coffee: $5.50 Decaffeinated: $6

Whole Beans: $5.50

Chocolate Bars: $4 incl. Taxes

Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $4.75

Teas: $4.25

LEPROSY MISSION OF CANADA THANKS YOU

The Leprosy Mission of Canada would like to thank the Parishioners of St. Gabriel’s for their outstanding participation in the stamp collection project. Your prayers and support are a source of strength for those trapped in a life of extreme poverty and the pain that comes from the stigma that surrounds leprosy. Your support is crucial in showing the world that leprosy is not an ancient disease, but a present reality affecting hundreds of thousands of children, women and men every day.

EXPLORING MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

Scarboro Missions Wednesdays from April 17th to May 1st 2685 Kingston Road

April 17th: The National Muslim-Christian Committee will share its history, challenges, achievements and vision for the future.

April 24th: A Muslim Imam and a Catholic Priest in Conversation

May 1st: A Christian’s Encounter with Islam

Dr. Helene Ijaz, a Christian educator with experience in Muslim-Christian relations and with interfaith marriages. Admission is free. No registration is required. For more information, please call 416-261-7135, ext. 296 or visit www.scarboromissions.ca

FREE ESTATE PLANNING SEMINAR

Catholic Cemeteries and the Archdiocese estate planning team will share:

How to protect your loved ones with a proper Will

How to ensure your wishes are legally protected

About Powers of Attorney

The cost savings of making an estate plan

Finding lawyers and estate planning advisors

Our Catholic traditions around wills, burial and funerals

An estate planning kit and DVD will be provided at no cost. Refreshments will be provided. RSVP: Frank Jannetta, Catholic Cemeteries: 416.733-8544 ext. 237 or fjannetta@ccat.on.ca

SNEAK PEEK ORCHESTRA CONCERT SYMPHONIC TALES

Friday, April 19th at 7:30 PM

Save this date… Friday, April 19th! The Sneak Peek orchestra returns to St. Gabriel’s for another wonderful concert entitled Synphonic Tales: music inspired by storytelling.

Tickets are $20 for Adults or $15 for students. Tickets will be on sale after all the Masses on April 13th/14th. They will also be available at the door or in advance on the website, www.sneakpeekorchestra.com

WOMEN’S WEEKEND RETREATS QUEEN OF APOSTLES, MISSISSAUGA

April 19th to April 21st: There will be a Women Together Retreat Weekend on the weekend of April 19-21 at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre. The theme is “Rediscover the Joy of our Faith”.

May 2nd to May 5th: A Women ACTS Retreat will take place on May 2nd – 5th, based on the theme of Adoration, Community, Theology and Service.

For further information or to register for either retreat, please call 905-278-5229.

REGIS COLLEGE BOOK SALE

Regis College is holding its second Annual Used Book Sale April 24th to April 27th at Regis College, 100 Wellesley St. West. All proceeds will be directed towards financial support of furthering the education of young Jesuits and lay students. For more information please call (416) 922-5474 ext.244; or go online to booksale@regiscollege.ca or www.regiscollege.ca/booksale .
We hope you are able to attend.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL BUNDLE-UP COLLECTION

Weekend of May 11th & 12th

The Society for St. Vincent de Paul will hold their annual Bundle Up Collection on the weekend of May 11th/12th. Bring your gently used clothing and household linens to share with others. A St. Vincent de Paul truck will be in the Church parking lot to receive donations. We will donate or sell these donations to support our outreach efforts. Thank you for your continued support. The truck will be open on Saturday, May 11th from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM and all day Sunday, May 12th until 4:00 PM. Volunteers will assist with the loading before and after each Mass.

RETROUVAILLE: HELP FOR TROUBLED MARRIAGES

Weekend of May 3rd to May 5th

RETROUVAILLE: Help for Troubled Marriages is a live-in weekend program followed by a number of Post sessions to help married couples through difficult times in their marriage relationships. It provides the tools necessary to rediscover each other and examine their lives together in a new and positive way. For confidential information or to register for a weekend, visit the web site at: www.torontoretrouvaille.com or call 416-281-6007.

The next Retrouvaille weekend is May 3rd to May 5th 2013.

MEAGAN’S WALK – CREATING A CIRCLE OF HOPE

On Saturday, May 11th, the 12th annual Meagan’s Walk: -Creating a Circle of Hope will take place. Registration opens at 8:30 AM at Fort York and the Walk begins at 10:00 AM. The Walk concludes at SickKids with the “Hug”, followed by closing festivities, a brief stage presentation and a BBQ at SickKids. All proceeds will be split between the Meagan Bebenek Endowment Fund and awareness, research and treatment of paediatric brain tumors at SickKids.

Founded by St. Paul of the Cross, every Passionist takes a special vow to spend his or her energies in promoting remembrance of the sufferings of Jesus, the memory of the Cross, and reflection of the meaning of the Cross for the world.